1. Representative Joe Barton, R-Texas
Amount received: $509,447
Barton chaired the House Committee on Energy and Commerce between 2002 and 2006. In 2005, he sponsored the Energy Policy Act which exempted hydraulic fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act, often called the Halliburton Loophole. less

1. Representative Joe Barton, R-Texas
Amount received: $509,447
Barton chaired the House Committee on Energy and Commerce between 2002 and 2006. In 2005, he sponsored the Energy Policy Act which exempted ... more

The hydraulic fracturing industry, defined as trade groups that support fracturing and companies that operate fractured wells, contributed nearly $12 million to House and Senate candidates during the 2012 election cycle, according to the report released this week. That grew from $4.3 million eight years earlier.

Legislators from districts and states that have fracturing activity, including many in Texas, were the biggest beneficiaries of the growing flood of dollars into D.C. Those candidates received $6.9 million during the 2012 campaign cycle, compared to $2.1 for the 2004 cycle.

“Like many industries under increasing scrutiny, the fracking industry has responded by ratcheting up campaign donations to help make new friends in Congress,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, in a written statement. “As CREW’s report shows, the fracking boom isn’t just good for the industry, but also for congressional candidates in fracking districts.”

The report is based on data by MapLight, a research organization that tracks data on campaign contributions, legislative votes and other political activity.

Above, see which senators and representatives received the largest campaign contributions from the hydraulic fracturing industry during the 2004 and 2012 campaign cycles, and find out which Texas representative ranks No. 1.